Sound track carrier



Feb. 13, 1951 w, PUNT SOUND TRACK CARRIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec 27, 1948 luvsn-yorz WILLIAM PUNT @W ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOUND TRACK CARRIER William'Punt, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Application December 27, 1948, Serial No. 67,293

'7' Claims. 1

The present invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for reproducing sound, and is more particularly concerned with-thoseparts of the apparatus upon which sound tracks are carried.. In general practice, such sound tracks are on rotating short cylinders, the individual disks or short cylinders which have heretofore been used having upon each a single tone or note track which when such sound track of a selected tone or note is operably associated with reproducing apparatus, results in the production of the tone or note of the track on such particular short cylinder or disk, or on a plurality of. them which may be simultaneously operated.

The sound tracks for single notes or tones have been made upon lengths of flexible material, such as paper or other equivalent material} and wrapped around and secured at the surface of a short cylindrical member which, in the operation of the machine, is turned about its central axis. In such construction the joinder of the track so that it will be continous or endless at the meeting ends of a length of material upon which the sound track has been produced, has been difiicult to obtain. My invention has for its primary object and purposea novel structure of sound wave carrier which will secure the perfect joinder of separated ends of the sound track and without production, in the reproduction of a note or tone, of undesired noises when a the immediate reproducing element which travels the sound track passes the joint between the ends of the track, and which undesired sounds have been produced where the sound track, ona single length of material around a short cylindrical member, haslbeen imperfectly matched in a meeting of the ends. or" such material.

It is 'a further object of the present invention to provide an improvement in the soundtrack carrying members of electrical musical instruments, which is of a novel and of relatively simple character, whereby it is readily manufactured with economy, and by means of which a more perfect sound reproduction is obtained.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. l is an elevation of the. plurality of the sound track elements or members mounted side by'side of a single'supporting shaft or rod.

Fig. 2 is a. generally longitudinal vertical section substantially on theplane of line 22 of Fig. 4 through one" of" the sound track carrying members.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section, looking in the-direction indicated, on the plane of line 33 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a like section on the same plane, show-- ing the two parts of a sound track carrying member in a diiierent position than that in Fig. 3.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the construction shown, a horizontal shaft or rod 1 is used for mounting the sound track carrying members thereon, such members being loosely mounted and being adapted to be driven from a parallel horizontal driven shaft 2, on which are a plurality of driving rollers 3, one for each of the sound track carrying members.

On the shaft l two hubs 4 and 5, for each of the sound track members, are loosely mounted side by side, being maintained in close relationship to each other in substantial end to end contact by fixed collars on the shaft (Fig. 2) which hold them in place. From the hubs 4 generally opposed radial spokes 6 integral with or permanently secured to the hub 4 extend outwardly. Other spokes are secured to and extend from the hub 5 and are offset at their outer end portions so that such outer end portions are in the same vertical plane with the spokes F5. The spokes 6 and I join with curved rim sections 8. Each of said rim sections 8 is of a length slightly less than a semi-circle. Such rim sections bear at their outer edges upon an assonated driving roller 3.

Short length curved sound track carrying flanges 9 are permanently secured to the rim sections 8 on the outer sides of which the sound tracks [0 are produced. When two of the ends of the two rim sections 8 are together, the opposedtwo ends are separated by a space indicated at l I. Each of the two parts of the sound track member may be independently rocked upon the shaft or rod i, so that the ends of the rim sections 8 may be alternately brought together in contact and separated as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The several. elements of electronic reproduction of sound indicated at 2 including the lenses, screen and tubes are conventional and, forming no part of the invention, are not shown in detail as to their connections and operation both of which are well known.

With the driving shaft 2 continuously driven and. the driving rollers 3 rotating therewith in contact-with the outer curvedv edges of the rim sections 8 it will be apparent that a driving roller 3 (Fig. 3) turning counter-clockwise, the rim section against which it is bearing will be turned clockwise as indicated by the directional arrows associated with such driving roller and with said rim sections; and that a rim section which is not in driving contact with the roller, the uppermost one shown in Fig. 3, will move by gravity so that at the lower part of the sound track carrying member the two ends of the two sections of said member abut against each other when passing the driving roller. This insures that when the drive imparted by the driving roller passes from one rim section 8 to the other, as about to do in Fig. 3, there will be no gap between the ends of the rims 8.

After passing from one rim 8 to the other, or from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that in Fig. 4, the rim section 8 of the part at the right (Fig. 3) will for a time push the other ahead of it or until, through gravity, the part of the sound track carrying member at the left (Figs. 3 and 4) rocks through the necessary are of movement to bring the opposite ends of the rims 8 together, this occurring substantially at the position of Fig. 4. Between the positions shown in Fig. 4. and in Fig. 3 the immediate reproducing element of the sound reproducer which is in association with the sound track is located, insuring that there will be no open gap between ends of the immediate track carrying members 9, but that they will be together and contact and the sound track at ID will be continuous at all times as it passes the assonated reproducer. The gravity actuation of the part of the sound track carrying member with which the driving roller 3 is not engaged is aided by increasing the mass and the weight of one of the spokes 6, so as to overbalance each member when the heavier or weighted spokes pass by their upper vertical positions.

With the construction described, the ends of the rims 8 and the members 9, where they are to abut against each other may be properly machined or otherwise conditioned so that, when in abutting contact engagement, the sound track In is continuous and unbroken and the ends of the track will join perfectly without any lateral offsets of one end of a sound track with respect to the other. This avoids the production of undesired noises as, whenever that part of the reproduction apparatus associated with any sound track is rendered operative with respect to it, it is always sure to engage the sound track smoothly whether at a joint or between them.

Although the drawing shows only one sound track on each cylinder, it is conceived that each cylinder may carry a plurality of sound tracks side by side, preferably all of the same pitch but of different tones whereby to reproduce at will the sounds of various musical instruments, and this plurality of sound tracks may be properly connected at the joints as with a single one.

The invention is readily and easily produced and is of a very practical useful character. The claims appended hereto define the invention which are to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A structure as described comprising a shaft, two members rockably and rotatably mounted upon said shaft, each having a peripheral portion in the arc of a circle, the radius of such pe ripheral portions being the same, and said peripheral portions lying in the same curve, the combined length thereof being less than 360 whereby said members may be rocked a limited distance back and forth with respect to each other to alternately bring adjacent ends together and to separate them, and a separate sound track carrying element connected with each of said members adjacent the peripheral portions thereof, said sound track elements being of curved form having the same center of curvature as the peripheral portions of said members, and said sound track elements being brought together upon abutment of the ends of said members.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1, each of said sound track elements having a sound track for a tone thereon extending from one end to the other of each of said elements, said sound tracks on said elements joining in a single continuous track when ends of the two sound track elements are together.

3. A structure as defined in claim 1, each of said members comprising a hub rockably and rotatably mounted upon said shaft, said hubs being located side by side on the shaft, spokes extending from the hub and rim sections of curved form and in the same curve between the outer ends of said spokes, said rim sections being of arc shape and having a combined length of less than 360.

4. A structure as defined in claim 3, said length of arc of each of said rim sections, approximating the gap between separated ends of said rim sections when the opposite ends are in contact not exceeding 36.

5. In sound track carrying device, two opposed rockably rotatably mounted members mounted to rock and turn on the same axis and each at its peripheral portion being in the arc of a circle and both combined having a length of less than 360, said members at their peripheral portions lying in the same curve and having the same radius of curvature, and separate sound tracks on the peripheral surfaces of each of said mem bers joining each other when said members at the ends thereof are in contact, the sound tracks being separated at the generally diametrically opposite portions of said members.

6. A structure as defined in claim 5, a shaft upon which said members are mounted to rock and to rotate about a substantially horizontal axis, said members, outwardly of said shaft, being weighted each toward its periphery and near one end of the peripheral surface thereof, whereby a member on being turned about its axis to a position in which the weighted portion is above the shaft and has moved across a line perpendicular to the axis of the mounting is rocked by gravity to move to and engage the other member, the weighted portion of which is below said shaft.

'7. A structure as defined in claim 6, and continuously operating driving means for engaging the peripheral surface of the lowermost member to turn said members about the horizontal axis of the mounting therefor.

WILLIAM PUNT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 406,568 Edison July 9, 1889 1,622,4l1 Garland Mar. 29, 1927 1,906,186 Deville Apr. 25, 1933 2,457,699 Marsen Dec. 28, 1948 

